25 Michael Nuccitelli began his career at Nationwide Precision Products Corporation at the age of 13 when his father, John ‘55, hired him to wash windows and do other odd jobs after school and during the summer. For the next eight years, Mike worked at virtually every job at the machining company, gaining invaluable experience. Upon graduation from Aquinas in 1980, Mike went on to Clarkson University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering. He then went to work full-time at Nationwide Precision Products. Three years after his graduation from Clarkson, Mike was named President of the company. During his tenure as President of Nationwide, employment grew to more than 250 people and sales grew 500% to $30 million. After the sale of Nationwide Precision Products in March 1999, Mike and his long-time partner Ron Ricotta went on to lead another manufacturing company Parlec, Inc. The Parlec tooling division was sold in 2017 but the presetter division remained and was rebranded Omega Tool Measuring Machines, Inc. In addition to Parlec and Omega, Mike and Ron purchased Century Mold Corporation in 2002. Together, Omega and Century Mold have now grown to eight worldwide locations, 900 employees, and sales of $200 million annually. Mike has been recognized for his business efforts throughout the years. He received the Frank P. Gillette Award of Excellence from the Rochester Tooling and Machining Association in 1994, and in 1995, he was named the Small Business Person of the Year for the Western New York Region by the US Small Business Administration. In 2006, Mike received the International Business Leader of the Year Award from the Rochester International Business Council. Most recently, Mike was inducted into the Rochester Tooling and Machining Hall of Fame in 2013, and in 2014 he was the recipient of the Greater Rochester Award for Board Leadership by Rochester Regional Health and received the Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award from RIT. In addition to his business ventures, Mike is presently active in numerous community organizations including Rochester Regional Health, where he currently serves as the System Board Chair, Aquinas Institute, and the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce. He is also active as a director in other local manufacturing companies. Mike and his wife, Kathy, have three children, Gina, Ashley, and Michael ’13, and one granddaughter, Sloan. Mike is the son on the late John ’55, and Diane Nuccitelli. His brothers Chris ’76, and Jay ’87, are also proud Aquinas alumni. 2022 Distinguished Alumnus Michael R. Nuccitelli ’80 To look at the life and career of Jennie Dede ‘96, anyone would think she had it planned from the start, but as she addressed the Class of 2022 as Commencement Speaker, she explained that you truly never know where life will push you. “I am here today to invite you to be open to the detours, to the paths you don’t even know exist yet, and as you begin your journey and navigate your path, I encourage you to be bold and never settle,” Jennie told the graduates. “Earn your confidence through continued effort. And if you listen to nothing else I say today, I want you to hear that it’s in the risks you take, those times when you really bet on yourself, that you unlock your full potential.” Jennie knows this firsthand. With a Bachelor’s of Arts in English from St. John Fisher University, Jennie set out to be a teacher, however, when the opportunity to take another path presented itself, she did in fact bet on herself and she hasn’t looked back since. For the past 20 years, Jennie has been a dynamic and transformational leader within the recruitment space. She is currently Senior Director of Sales, Head of Search & Staffing at Linkedin, a role she took on less than a year ago. Prior to that, Jennie was the Global Head of Customer Success for Linkedin’s Talent Solutions business where she led the team responsible for the post-sales customer experience of an $8 billion business where the mission is to connect opportunity to the global workforce. Over her career, Jennie has worked at companies like CareerBuilder, Adecco and Randstad to partner with Fortune 500 companies to design and implement effective recruitment strategies. With a focus on innovation and growth, she has consistently led large global teams to drive scale and results through meaningful customer experiences. Getting to where she is today was not a straight path or even a clear path at times, but Jennie’s advice to the Class of 2022 was certainly a guide for how to navigate that. “Just be open to the fact that as you grow and learn, that view, that planned path may change and that’s okay,” she said. “Mine continues to change and I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I don’t want to be limited to what I know now, because I know there is still so much, I don’t know. What I do know is each risk I’ve taken, and you will take, pushes the boundaries of what you think is possible, opening new paths to explore. Potential awaits in those new paths.” When she’s not at work, Jennie enjoys being an active member in her Chicago, Illinois community. She currently sits on the board of the Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club, and spent five years on the board of New Moms. She coaches soccer and cheerleading, and frequently volunteers at her local food pantry. Traveling the world with her 2 sons and her husband, Jennie continues her adventures and never stops pushing her boundaries. 2022 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER JENNIE DEDE ’96
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